Senate Dem candidate who wrote he 'became a communist' now says he was joking
Maine Democrat Graham Platner now says he was "joking" in years-old Reddit posts where he identified himself as a "communist."Platner, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat Sen. Susan...
By Fox News · Fox News
Maine Democrat Graham Platner now says he was "joking" in years-old Reddit posts where he identified himself as a "communist." Platner, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., in 2026, published the now-deleted Reddit posts between 2020 and 2021. In one of the posts, he wrote, "I got older and became a communist," but he now claims it was merely "internet s---posting." "I believe in Medicare-for-all. I believe in expanding the rights of workers to organize. I believe in taxing the ultra-rich. I believe in a fairer economic system," he told NBC News on Sunday. "I also know that because I believe in those things, people will refer to me as that no matter what… That's the joke." He went on to explain away other posts he made at the time in which he described rural White voters as "stupid and racist." MAINE DEM SENATE HOPEFUL BACKED BY BERNIE SANDERS APOLOGIZES FOR NAZI-STYLE TATTOO, VOWS TO STAY IN RACE "I did get in a fight with somebody and say that some rural White voters were stupid and racist," he told the outlet. "I myself am a rural White voter in eastern Maine. These are my neighbors and my friends. I actually rise to their defense often and continue to do so." "I don’t want to be flippant about it, but I was getting in arguments on the Internet … at a part in my life when I was looking for interaction and engagement, at a time where I was feeling quite isolated and alone and very disillusioned at that point," he added. "I do not hold those feelings." The internet posts were only one avenue of criticism Platner has faced in recent weeks. He also faced a whirlwind of backlash after photos revealed that he had a tattoo depicting the Totenkopf used by Hitler's SS paramilitary forces. BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS Platner weathered calls for him to withdraw for the race , and a number of his top campaign staffers bowed out under the pressure. Nevertheless, he now claims his campai…